John McCain says newspaper stories that suggested an inappropriate relationship between him and a lobbyist is “not true.” The New York Times quoted anonymous aides as saying they had urged McCain and lobbyist Vicki Iseman to stay away from each other prior to his failed presidential campaign in 2000. The Washington Post quoted longtime aide John Weaver, who split with McCain last year, as saying he met with lobbyist Iseman and urged her to stay away from McCain. Neither story asserted that there was a romantic relationship, reporting only that aides worried about the appearance of McCain having close ties to the lobbyist, who had business before the Senate Commerce Committee on which McCain served. The stories allege that McCain wrote letters and pushed legislation involving television station ownership that would have benefited Iseman’s clients. What do you think? (Read the story.)